2000
#31,884
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 684
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Maffeo
Italian surname derived from the given name Matteo, meaning "gift of God."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 790 Americans carry the last name Maffeo. That puts it at #35,228 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 433,866 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Maffeo surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
790
1 in 433,866
Census rank
#35,228
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
689
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 689 bearers of the surname Maffeo in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 35228th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Maffeo
The surname MAFFEO originated in Italy, specifically in the region of Lombardy, during the medieval period. It is believed to be derived from the Italian personal name "Maffeo," which in turn is a variant of the Latin name "Matthaeus," meaning "gift of God."
One of the earliest recorded instances of the MAFFEO surname can be found in the 12th century, when a nobleman named Guglielmo Maffeo was mentioned in a document from the city of Bergamo. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by that time.
In the 13th century, a notable figure named Gasparo Maffeo (c. 1220 - c. 1290) was a prominent merchant and banker in the city of Milan. He played a significant role in the city's financial affairs and was considered one of the wealthiest individuals of his time.
The MAFFEO surname also appears in several historical records from the 14th and 15th centuries, often associated with noble families or prominent individuals. For example, in the 1400s, there was a wealthy merchant named Bartolomeo Maffeo who owned several properties in the city of Genoa.
In the 16th century, a notable figure named Girolamo Maffeo (c. 1510 - c. 1580) was a renowned artist and architect from the city of Verona. He was known for his work on several churches and buildings in the region, including the Church of San Giorgio in Braida.
Another notable individual with the MAFFEO surname was Giovanni Battista Maffeo (c. 1630 - c. 1700), a Jesuit missionary who traveled to China and served as a translator and advisor to the Emperor Kangxi. His writings and observations on Chinese culture and society were influential in Europe during that time.
While the MAFFEO surname has its roots in Italy, it has since spread to other parts of the world through immigration and migration. However, its origins and historical significance remain deeply rooted in the northern Italian regions of Lombardy and neighboring areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Maffeo
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Maffeo bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Maffeo surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 641
- Hispanic or Latino3.9% · 27
- Two or more races1.6% · 11
- Black or African American0.9% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.1% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Maffeo
Maffeo appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#32,485
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 708
+24 bearers (+3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Down 601 places
2020
#35,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 689
-19 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.23
Rank movement Down 2,743 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,884 | 684 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #32,485 | 708 | 0.24 | +24 bearers (+3.5%) | Down 601 places |
| 2020 | #35,228 | 689 | 0.23 | -19 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 2,743 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Maffeo surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #32,485 | #35,228 | -8.4% |
| Count | 708 | 689 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.24 | 0.23 | -4.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Maffeo bearers went from 708 to 689 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 2,743 positions in the national ranking, going from #32,485 to #35,228.
FAQ
Maffeo surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Maffeo?
Name Census estimates that about 790 living Americans carry the surname Maffeo. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 433,866 residents.
How common is Maffeo?
Maffeo ranks #35,228 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.23 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 689 people with the surname Maffeo. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (790), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.23 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.23 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Maffeo.
Has Maffeo become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Maffeo went from 708 recorded bearers to 689. That is a decrease of 19 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #32,485 to #35,228.
What does the Census say about the background of Maffeo?
Among Census respondents with the surname Maffeo, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.9%) and Two or More Races (1.6%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Maffeo in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (641 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Maffeo appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.9%), Two or More Races (1.6%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Maffeo (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Maffeo mean?
Italian surname derived from the given name Matteo, meaning "gift of God." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Maffeo (0.23 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Maffeo?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.